LaSalle Investment Management will partner with the Marshall Bennett Institute of Real Estate at Roosevelt University on a new scholarship program for Black and Latinx undergraduates.
The LaSalle Real Estate Scholarship for Black and Latino/a Minorities will provide rising Black and Latino/a college sophomores the opportunity to receive $10,000 toward their education. It will also include programmatic mentorship meetings with LaSalle executives designed to educate the scholarship recipient on careers in real estate investment management and the real estate industry in general.
The ultimate goal of the program is to provide the recipients with the opportunity to apply for an internship at LaSalle, and with the express objective of being well-prepared to seek opportunities for full-time employment in the real estate sector upon graduation.
LaSalle is initially partnering with four academic institutions, including some of the top Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) in the U.S.:
- Roosevelt University
- Morehouse College
- Spelman College
- Florida A&M University
LaSalle plans to expand its partnerships with HBCUs and other academic institutions in the years ahead.
Students who receive the scholarship will have a minimum 3.0 GPA and will be required to attend four quarterly meetings, either virtually or in-person, including an investment committee meeting and a quarterly townhall. Additionally, each student will be matched with a senior leader of the firm, who will provide mentorship and help guide them through an introduction to the real estate profession.
Jason Kern, LaSalle Chief Executive Officer of the Americas, said: “It is our strong belief that racial and all other forms of diversity at all levels of our organization, and in society at large, will lead to a better future. As a whole, the real estate and financial services industry has lagged its peers, but at LaSalle we pride ourselves on being at the forefront of positive, meaningful change in the diverse makeup of our industry.”
Alfreda Delle, Deputy Portfolio Manager of LaSalle Property Fund, added: “Providing Black and Latinx students the opportunity to gain exposure to real estate and financial services professions at a young age is critical to expanding their career opportunities. These professions have historically not been seen as accessible to these populations, and with this scholarship, we're putting the institutional strength and resources of LaSalle behind an effort to change that.”
To learn more about the Roosevelt bachelor’s in real estate degree, visit the program website.
ABOUT ROOSEVELT UNIVERSITY
Roosevelt University, a private institution founded in 1945 on the principles of inclusion and social justice, has more than 4,800 students and campuses in the Chicago Loop, Schaumburg, Peoria and Lake County. Roosevelt offers 75 undergraduate, 15 graduate and doctoral programs across five colleges and online, including arts and sciences, business, performing arts, education, culinary, health sciences and pharmacy.
The integration of Robert Morris University Illinois into Roosevelt was approved in March 2020. The new Roosevelt will be nationally recognized as a catalyst for students from all walks of life to receive transformational learning experiences. Students who attend the expanded University will become socially conscious citizens who thrive in a diverse and changing world. Together, both universities will build on their historic missions that honor diversity, inclusion and access to education. Roosevelt seeks and serves a diverse student body because it values differences in experiences and perspectives, and uses those differences to promote mutual understanding, inclusion and action toward social justice.
ABOUT LASALLE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT | INVESTING TODAY. FOR TOMORROW
LaSalle Investment Management is one of the world's leading real estate investment managers. On a global basis, LaSalle manages over $65 billion of assets in private and public real estate property and debt investments as of Q2 2020. LaSalle’s diverse client base includes public and private pension funds, insurance companies, governments, corporations, endowments and private individuals from across the globe. LaSalle sponsors a complete range of investment vehicles including separate accounts, open- and closed-end funds, public securities and entity-level investments. For more information, please visit www.lasalle.com and LinkedIn.